Exercise induced asthma symptoms and conditions

My 11 year old son started singular in March of 2009 for exercise induced asthma. Within weeks he started having symptoms of heartburn - which he had never had before. I brought him back into the dr. mid June- they said wasn't related to singulair and actually increased his does from 5 mg to 10 mg. Since increasing his does, he started experiencing, daily headaches, stomach pain, leg cramps, night sweats w/ shaking & overall FEAR. Last night he was in tears - he kept saying there is something seriously wrong with me - I can't stand feeling this way he was afraid he was going to die and didn't want to go to sleep.

Last night I did my own research and found this board. THANK GOD!
He didn't take his singulair last night & he never will again.

I called his dr. this morning to tell them I think he is having negative side effects from singulair. They actually told he it was "HIGHLY UNLIKELY" his symptoms were related to singulair and NOT TO STOP USING IT. They instead said I should start giving him pepcid. I told them he had stopped it - for good and that we need a plan B for is exercise induced asthma. Looks like my plan B is finding a new Dr. that isn't in bed with Merck.

Has anyone had any experience with a NATURAL approch to controlling exercise induced asthma?

From the FDA's "Updated Information on Leukotriene Inhibitors: Montelukast (marketed as Singulair), Zafirlukast (marketed as Accolate), and Zileuton (marketed as Zyflo and Zyflo CR)"

6/12/2009

Neuropsychiatric events have been reported in some patients taking montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo and Zyflo CR). FDA has requested that manufacturers include a precaution in the drug prescribing information (drug labeling).

Montelukast is used to treat asthma, and the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, itching of the nose), and to prevent exercise-induced asthma. Zafirlukast and zileuton are used to treat asthma.

The reported neuropsychiatric events include postmarket cases of agitation, aggression, anxiousness, dream abnormalities and hallucinations, depression, insomnia, irritability, restlessness, suicidal thinking and behavior (including suicide), and tremor.

This information reflects FDA’s current analysis of available data concerning this drug.

Advice to patients and healthcare professionals:

Patients and healthcare professionals should be aware of the potential for neuropsychiatric events with these medications.

Patients should talk with their healthcare providers if these events occur.

Healthcare professionals should consider discontinuing these medications if patients develop neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Background

In April 2009, FDA completed its review of neuropsychiatric events, (mood and behavioral changes) possibly related to drugs that act through the leukotriene pathway (montelukast, zafirlukast, zileuton). As part of its review, FDA reviewed post-marketing reports and also requested that manufacturers submit all available clinical trial data for these products.

The post-market reports of patients on these medications included cases of neuropsychiatric events. Some reports included clinical details consistent with a drug-induced effect. In the clinical trial data submitted by manufacturers, neuropsychiatric events were not commonly observed. However, the available data were limited because the trials were not designed to look for neuropsychiatric events. Sleep disorders (primarily insomnia) were reported more frequently with all three products compared to placebo.

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Wow.... I am so glad I found this site. I am a normal, healthy, 24 year old who has been on Nuvaring for about 2.5 years after being on orthocycline since I was 19. I have always had a little bit of anxiety when speaking in front of a crowd, but it has gradually grown to panic attacks when make any sort of presentation (something that is regular for my job), and heightened anxiety when simply interacting with people I don't know very well. My doctor gave me Ativan to control the panic attacks, but recently I have been contemplating taking something daily. I've also noticed lower libido, overall lack of motivation, constant fatigue, constipation, slight hair loss and thinning, and overall irritability (yet no vaginal side effects). In the past year, any light amount of cardio will make make my heart race and make me feel like I'm going to faint (pulse was at 180 bpm in 1.5 minutes running slowly on the treadmill). My doctor ran tests and attributed it to "exercise induced asthma" which he gave me an inhaler for. That didn't work. Thank you to everyone who has posted on this site because now I KNOW it's the Nuvaring (which is unfortunate because it's soooooo convenient).

Hello I'm a 41 year old female, and I took Lipitor 20 mgs for 6 months about two years ago. When I called my doctor's office to complain about side effects they told me it couldn't be the Lipitor because I had been taking it for a month already, and would have had problems before that. I eventually took myself off of the drug 5 months later. Here are some of the side effects I experienced:
Itchy fingertips, increased blood pressure, 30lb weight gain, shaky hand writing, acne, poor driving skills, poor memory, hair loss, "frozen joints", IBS, incontinence, low grade fever, itchy feet, numb toes, numb hands, foggy brain, joint pain, muscle pain, foot pain, plantar pain, dizzy, jaw pain, back and neck pain, week ankles and wrists, nasal allergies, skin rashes, migraines, heartburn, Increase in Astham, heart palpitations, knee pain, difficulty standing up from sitting position, difficulty climbing stairs, water retention alternating in feet, hands, arms and legs, almost constant taste of bile in my mouth.
These are only the ones I can remember. Two years down the road everything but the muscle and joint pain and weakness is gone. even those have improved a lot. I stopped taking the Lipitor and lost all 30lbs I had gained on it, without dieting, in a months time. I still have two toes on each foot that are partially numb. I have trouble climbing stairs, and getting up from a sitting position. I can do both, but I move slowly while doing them. The pain in my muscles and joints drives me crazy, but I'm grateful that the rest of the symptoms have cleared up. My doctor never believed me about my symptoms, and neither does my new doctor really. Went to the emergency room for asthma that was not responding to my inhaler, and they were about to let me go home when I mentioned to the doctor that I had been on Lipitor. Suddenly a huge battery of tests were ordered including a CT scan and a stress test. When I asked the doctor why he said that they just wanted to be sure that it wasn't something other than asthma. Why did they do that after hearing about the Lipitor? Do they know something? Are there doctors who believe that statins are killing and seriously injuring people? I'm so angry. Even as I sit here typing I know when I stand up I will have massive amounts of pain that I will have to "walk off". My quadriceps have not recovered, and remain ridiculously weak.
If I can stop one other person from going through this I will be happy. Thanks everyone for taking the time to list your symptoms. It makes me feel better to know that someone believes me, and knows what I am going through.

I've had all these same symptoms at one point during the two years I've been taking Advair. I've had exercise induced asthma since I was 18 but I can still work out at age 38 regularly with the help of Albuterol/Proventil. I stopped taking Advair after I completed my last disk in Sept, 08. It all makes sense now after the fact from reading here. Firstly, I cant tell you how severe the muscle cramps were. No words can describe upper body cramping in every muscle that I endured for weeks (it felt like knives all over)!!! The same happened with my legs...the muscles became so tight they contorted! My Dr. gave me an m.r.i. took x-rays and several blood tests...even gave me an h.i.v. test because he had no idea what would cause all these symptoms. He said it was "complicated". The test results found nothing. All lof my symptoms are gone now that I've stopped taking it (mouth sores, bleeding gums, strange skin lumps, hair loss, dry eyes, swollen tongue feeling, lump in throat feeling, severe cramping all over my body for 3 weeks). The Dr. noted that I had gained 10lbs since my last visit. I told him, "I've barely been able to MOVE with this cramping much less exercise with my regular weekly routine!" "It even hurts to breath deeply!" I still have a dry cough that hasn't gone away and normally I clear up after the seasonal rag weed season is over. We have had two hard frosts already...that usually clears my allergies.

I've had all these same symptoms at one point during the two years I've been taking Advair. I've had exercise induced asthma since I was 18 but I can still work out at age 38 regularly with the help of Albuterol/Proventil. I stopped taking Advair after I completed my last disk in Sept, 08. It all makes sense now after the fact from reading here. Firstly, I cant tell you how severe the muscle cramps were. No words can describe upper body cramping in every muscle that I endured for weeks (it felt like knives all over)!!! The same happened with my legs...the muscles became so tight they contorted! My Dr. gave me an m.r.i. took x-rays and several blood tests...even gave me an h.i.v. test because he had no idea what would cause all these symptoms. He said it was "complicated". The test results found nothing. All lof my symptoms are gone now that I've stopped taking it (mouth sores, bleeding gums, strange skin lumps, hair loss, dry eyes, swollen tongue feeling, lump in throat feeling, severe cramping all over my body for 3 weeks). The Dr. noted that I had gained 10lbs since my last visit. I told him, "I've barely been able to MOVE with this cramping much less exercise with my regular weekly routine!" "It even hurts to breath deeply!" I still have a dry cough that hasn't gone away and normally I clear up after the seasonal rag weed season is over. We have had two hard frosts already...that usually clears my allergies.

4 yr. old son on Albuterol and Pulmicort for asthma triggered by allergies and colds. He is off of both during the summer, once he goes on the medication for the allergy season he experiences mood swings, violent tantrums, is confrontational, basically his personality changes. We have tried reducing the dose and cutting out one medication or the other with the same effect, the symptoms persist. We feel we have no choice because of the severe asthma attacks.

This is not really a side effect. I had been taking Advair 250/50 twice a day for about 10 months for exercise induced asthma. It worked really well for about 3 or 4 months. Then for the next 2 or 3 months it worked with moderate success. For the past 2 months or so it was not working at all so I stopped taking it. I had the usual horse voice and mild cough which I put up with when it was working. Anybody have the same experience

FYI: Go to

http://www.drugs.com/fda/singulair-montelukast-12368.html

Singulair (montelukast)
March 27, 2008
Audience: Pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, other healthcare professionals, patients
FDA informed healthcare professionals and patients of the Agency's investigation of the possible association between the use of Singulair and behavior/mood changes, suicidality (suicidal thinking and behavior) and suicide. Singulair is a leukotriene receptor antagonist used to treat asthma and the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, and to prevent exercise-induced asthma. Patients should not stop taking Singulair before talking to their doctor if they have questions about the new information. Healthcare professionals and caregivers should monitor patients taking Singulair for suicidality (suicidal thinking and behavior) and changes in behavior and mood.

This early communication is in keeping with FDA’s commitment to inform the public about its ongoing safety reviews of drugs. Due to the complexity of the analyzes, FDA anticipates that it may take up to 9 months to complete the ongoing evaluations. As soon as this review is complete, FDA will communicate the conclusions and recommendations to the public.

Latest FDA MedWatch Alerts...

I had my Mirena for 18 months (12/07-4/3/08). My Doctor urged me to keep it in and when I finally went to get it removed, I had retained the strings and the pain when he dilated my cervix was so painful I had to get anesthesia to get it removed.

After about 6 months of the iud, I started experiencing heart palpitations and shortness of breath. And for the last few months and even two weeks post removal I am experiencing shortness of breath at rest. And tightness in my chest. It's very scary. ALSO, I only have heart palpitations mid-cycle (ovulation) and during my period. And my shortness of breath gets worse during that time also. It is painful to exercise bc I can't breathe, I actually got a bronchial inhaler from my doctor and it's helped SO much during exercise. I would be yawning and have so much extra saliva and after 50 running paces I'd have to stop to rest because my chest would be so tight and burning. I was tested for asthma and do not have asthma. That isn't to say I don't have exercise induced asthma. I never ever had problems before this Mirena.

I haven't had any hair loss or trouble sleeping that I can pinpoint either. Mostly I looked 3 months pregnant and haven't been able to drop 5 lbs. I'm ideal weight for my height and have cut out most sugar and limited carbs and nothing has changed even with exercise. I DO notice that I was soooo nasty and couldn't control my temper. I can't positively contribute that to the Mirena but I'll see as time goes on and this wears away.

I wouldn't advise the Mirena to anyone. Not with all these women and myself having the same effects. The Dr tried to tell me that it couldn't be the Mirena causing heart palpitations but I'm 28 years old and entirely healthy.

I also felt when I was ovulating that I was having contractions. My Dr kept telling me it's not supposed to help cramping but won't make it worse and I must have said 100 times that I NEVER HAD CRAMPS before in my life. My ovulation/periods were always very uneventful and painless. And the pain I had during ovulation and my period wasn't traditional cramping. It was a wave of extreme sharp shooting pain that would shoot down my thigh and I'd actually do careful, controlled breathing during that pain. The pain would be so intense I'd stop in my tracks and grip whatever was nearest to me while standing perfectly still and doing breathing exercises.

Also, I should note I have never been pregnant before and my midwife that I go to now was saying that my body could have been trying to expel the iud bc I had never had anything pass through or in my cervix before and that the pain during ovulation and period could actually have been my uterus contracting because it was trying to get the iud out!

I hope that the chest tightness and shortness of breath go away. It's very alarming.

Update about my post about the Chinese researchers who reported leukoteine receptors in the brain. There were a few people who misunderstood what I was trying to say to you. I was trying to say that yes it is possible or at least not impossible that Singulair does interfere with brain function in some people because at least one group of researchers found leukoteine receptors in the brain.

I located an article where a professor at Emory was quoted as saying that psychiatric side effects could be possible if leukoteine receptors exist in the brain. That is what I was trying to say without getting myself in trouble for giving misinformation. There is quite a bit more that I would like to say but I cannot find proof as of yet but I am working on it.

Merck’s Singulair likely to see prescription drop-off only in high-risk populations
By Beth Herskovits and Gayatri Iyer in New York

Published: March 28 2008 19:52 | Last updated: March 28 2008 19:52

This article is provided to FT.com readers by Pharmawire—a news service focused on providing insight into the most price sensitive issues in the global pharmaceutical market. www.pharmawire.com
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Merck’s asthma and allergy drug Singulair may see a decline in prescriptions due to recent concerns about suicidality, but the drop will not be precipitous, physicians told Pharmawire.

The warning will likely cause the biggest prescription fall-off among patients with a personal or family history of depression, or patients with mild disease, they add. The drug is taken daily to prevent asthma attacks and allergies, or as needed for exercise-induced asthma.

”Both my kids are on Singulair - and I’m not going to take them off it,” said Dr Lawrence Ciesemier, an allergist and immunologist who practices Kirksville, Missouri. ”It was a surprise to me that this data came out.”

Dr Gregg Santilli, an allergist and immunologist in private practice at AirCare in Plano, Texas, noted that he has prescribed Singulair - a drug he helped launch - for 10 years without seeing any suicides. ”Apparently this is an extremely rare event,” he said. ”This drug has certainly not been linked in a causative way to this.”

”The real question is whether the is greater than what’s seen in the general population,” said Dr Jay Portnoy, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. ”It’s still an extremely safe and effective medication.”

The FDA announced yesterday that it is ”considering” regulatory action after post-marketing reports seemed to link the asthma and allergy blockbuster to suicidal thoughts and action. Officials said in a statement that they are undertaking a nine-month review of Singulair and three other leukotriene modifying medications: AstraZeneca’s Accolate and Dey’s Zyflo and Zyflo CR.

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HERE IS THE PART ABOUT THE LEUKOTRIENE RECEPTORS IN THE BRAIN

Dr Douglas Bremner, director of Emory’s Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, noted that drugs can cause psychiatric effects when the targeted receptor also exists in the brain. But he added that it’s unclear whether the brain has leukotriene receptors.

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He noted that despite the updated label, the side effects ”sort of flew below the radar.” However, he painted a grimmer picture of the effect on the market, saying this would affect Singular sales badly. People are likely to stop taking it, he added.

Over the past year, Merck has updated its safety label to include reports of tremors, depression, suicidality, and anxiousness, the FDA said.

But Dr George Philip, senior director in clinical research for Merck, noted that none of the reports of suicidality came out of clinical studies. He added that post-marketing reports can be ”sketchy” and ”not well-defined” - making it more difficult to determine whether the drug caused the change in behavior.

Asked about whether certain high-risk patients should avoid Singulair, he said, ”It may be part of the dialogue moving forward. These are still unanswered questions.”

He added that other allergy drugs have also been linked to suicide, including Pfizer’s Zyrtec.

Santilli noted that he would consider each patient’s individual risk factors - and the severity of their asthma - before making any treatment changes. GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair has a black box warning linking it to an increased risk of asthma-related death, he said, and Zyflo patients must be monitored for liver toxicity.

”Every drug has risks and benefits,” he said. ”Singulair seemed to be a very clean, very safe drug.”

Ciesemier agreed. ”I prescribe Singulair daily,” he said, but conceded that ”maybe this wouldn’t be the first choice” for patients with a history of suicidality.

Patients who are taking the drug for allergies, a less serious condition, might be more likely to switch to an antihistamine, Santilli noted.

Singulair earned USD 4.3bn last year, growing 19%, and is the bestselling respiratory product on the US market, according to the company. Merck has a market cap of USD 96.57bn.

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For more information or to inquire about a trial please email sales@pharmawire.com or call Americas: +1 212-500-1384 or Europe: + 44 (0)20 7059 6251

New FDA Warning:

FDA informed health care professionals and patients of the Agency's investigation of the possible association between the use of Singulair and behavior/mood changes, suicidally (suicidal thinking and behavior) and suicide. Singulair is a leukotriene receptor antagonist used to treat asthma and the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, and to prevent exercise-induced asthma. Patients should not stop taking Singulair before talking to their doctor if they have questions about the new information. Healthcare professionals and caregivers should monitor patients taking Singulair for suicidally (suicidal thinking and behavior) and changes in behavior and mood.
This early communication is in keeping with FDA’s commitment to inform the public about its ongoing safety reviews of drugs. Due to the complexity of the analyzes, FDA anticipates that it may take up to 9 months to complete the ongoing evaluations. As soon as this review is complete, FDA will communicate the conclusions and recommendations to the public.

Read the complete 2008 MedWatch Safety Summary, including a link to the FDA Early Communication About An Ongoing Safety Review regarding this issue at: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#Singulair

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I have posted before but wanted to update. Singulair ruined my life for nearly 2 years, but I did not realize it was the reason until about 2 months ago. About 4 months after being on singulair, I sought treatment for severe depression and anxiety. My docs/psychs thought that it was a delayed reaction to the death of my father a couple of years earlier, so we did lots of therapy and 3 different psych meds trying to help me adjust. After all this (and one suicide attempt), I was finally just starting to accept that I was a miserable excuse for a human being, and I should get used to the fact that my life was going to suck from here on out. Then, I developed GERD and could not see my regular doc. The new doc told me to research all my meds (I was taking FOUR a day at that point, including the singulair...I am 27...) to find out if any could be the cause. That was when I found out what singulair can do, and that it could be the cost of my problems. My doc checked my charts, and sure enough, I started taking it shortly before I developed all of these "psychological problems". I've been off singulair for 2 months and my psych meds for a month (had to wean off). I finally feel like myself again after two years of hell!!!! I still have a slightly foggy head and problems concentrating sometimes, but what can I expect? I've been on mind-altering drugs for a couple of years. I hope things continue to improve. Never again will I take any drugs without doing *thorough* research (not just reading the hand out that comes with it..when I started singulair, there was no information about all these problems on the leaflet).

I am posting again to say to click on SINGULAIR in the news on this page and you will see a story on exactly what this drug is capable of.This story was aired in New york but also went out to other nbc affiliated stations.I am the mom of the boy that died ,and am now planning a trip to Washington DC with a NY.Senator and Congresswoman.We are going to speek to the FDA and request that this drug be reevaluated for safety reasons.If they will consider also a black box warning on the label that would also help parents to know the seriousness of the side effects.If you have questions you can send me a private email and I will do the best I can to direct you in helping in your State.

I have been using Advair 250/50 for about 4 or 5 months to control my exercise induced asthma primarily when cycling on my 50-60 mile rides. So far I am pretty happy with how it is working, although I have noted that others have had initial success only to have some serious problems later on. My only complaint is the hoarseness, coughing and dry throat it gives me. I now have that somewhat under control with some aggressive cleaning of my mouth with water after I take a dose. I swallow some water and swish it around my mouth very aggressively, spit it out and then make sure I drink 4 or 5 gulps of water to clean my throat with the emphasis on gulp. Now the hoarseness and coughing is relatively minor. I also take two puffs of Albuterol about 20 minutes before riding. This is pretty standard for those that do vigorous prolonged exercise.

I've been on Advair for years. I'm a healthy 32 y.o female, active, with severe asthma. Trying to get myself off of it and have been successful at taking the medication once every 3 days or so. I am working out more and need it less often - the more I build up lung capacity. Within the last year, I've noticed that I've been losing eyebrow hair. So much of it, in fact, that I went to the Derm. for a diagnosis. They think it's "alopecia" - and I say ... it's ADVAIR. Anyone else experiencing hair loss or eyebrow loss, who happens to be on an inhaled steroid? In my case, it's only ONE eyebrow - very annoying! Hair on head is fine. Can't help but link it to the drugs, since Alopecia seems just way too far removed.

Taking Diltiazem CD, 120 mg once oer day for Premature Atrial Contractions P.A.C. After two days my exercise induced asthma got much worse.
Nils A

wow i red all your stories now i started thinking iv been on yasmins for 7 months and my body just did a big change. my chest is always sore and tender head aches dizziness a loud rin tone in my head that is driving me nuts now this big problem with anxiety and panic disorder i am 29 and on so many medicaations for heart burn asthma inhailers and pills for anxiety and depression . every thing happened so fast with the anxiety depression which i never had before gas like you would not beleive bloating weight gain after i read all your stories can bc do this to your body do you think all this anxiety and panic disorders and stomach problems and foggy head loud sounds be from a bc after i read your stories i will be stopping them and going to see my doc thanx alot and good luck with you all.

My 6 year old son has had all of these more or less. He has been on Singulair for about 5 months. We took him off last Friday when he started having seizures. It is only now that we are connecting the things he has complained about. He is still going through testing but everytime a test is done it is negative. He is in perfect health. The dr.s are stumped. What happens is, he smells a wierd smell. Then he sees lights. After this he has a bad headache and becomes weak so he lays down. Shortly thereafter he stiffens and starts shaking his arms and legs while clinching his hands. He also grunts and makes a buzzing sound and appears as though he only breathes out. the dr.s say it is not seizures but movement disorder and if it is Singulair it should be out of his system within 3 days... He is still having the seizure type fits and its been a week since we took him off singulair. He is still losing his temper and having horrible dreams as well. Cat scan was normal, EEG was normal, blood work is ok, they want to do an MRI but does this sound familiar to anyone?

I have been taking Singulair since January 2003. It really helped my exercise induced asthma. In the summer of 2004, I had a tooth pulled and a bridge put in. My teeth and jaws started hurting and the dentist couldn't figure out any reason why they were. In the summer of 2005, while still on the Singulair, my left arm and neck started hurting leading me to believe I may be having heart problems. I had my heart checked out, and everything looked good. Last summer, still taking Singulair, I began having trouble swallowing pills. I finally stopped taking the Singulair the first of October 2006, and my teeth and jaws quit hurting; my left arm and neck quit hurting; and I don't have any trouble swallowing pills. I did get a nasty head cold a couple of months after stopping the Singulair and another one a couple of months later. I am wondering if those head colds may be associated with the Singulair as it has been many years since I have had a head cold.

I have a 9 year old daughter that was sick on a monthly basis since she started school. We did the round of antibotics every month. Finally we went the route of having the tonsils out. That didn't seem to help the constant throat ,sinus drainage and constant barking coughing. Then we went through allergy testing discovered that she has no food allergies,but had a lot of environmental allergies and exercise induced asthma. The doctor prescribed Singulair in Feb of 06. My daughter has not been sick since. She has not been to the Doctor since Feb of 06. The cough has disappeared as well as the constant throat drainage. The medication has helped her symtoms,but now I am concerned as to what I am reading on this forum. She has not compalined about nightmares,or hallunications,but she has changed in her behavior some. She has become so confrontational with us. She at times does not have appropraite reactions to situations.She becomes easily angered and upset. She is a straight A student and has no problems with her behavior at school. Was recommended for the Excel program for gifted students.She does complain about joint discomfort l. She takes 5mg every day. I was wondering what mgs that others are taking that would cause all these horrible side effects? I am really scared to hear about the seizures. Of course her Doctor told us that the side effects were near to nothing almost like candy as he described it. I am worried about long term side effects. I did cut her dosage back to half during the summer months and she was fine.

I started taking Singulair about 3 months ago for mild exercise induced asthma and allergies. I had headaches real bad in the morning for about a week and then they stopped. About a month or so into it, I had severe abdominal pain, enough to get a catscan which showed nothing, chalked it up to my esophogus reflux I have. I noticed I'm starting to wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep (restlessness) and feeling of heart going too fast. Just last week I have some blood blisters to appear on my toes that the dermotologist said was because of too much exercising. I still have the abdominal pain from time to time, but doesn't last. I wonder if all these are connected?

I am a 42 yro who has been using Advair 250/50 for over a year now. The Doc prescribed 2 puffs a day but I prefer to take 1 puff every day (shhhh...don't tell the doc!). Before going to Advair I was taking albuterol inhaler on an as needed basis (allergy/exercise induced asthma). I am not sure if its old age, or me moving from NE to the SE USA (where its hot & humid), or Advair itself but I am noticing that I am getting more and more dependent on Advair to the point where If I don't take my once-a-day-puff, I find myself starting to wheeze. I was never like this with Albuterol. Sometimes I wonder if there is a chemical in Advair that makes you become dependent on it just so the drug company can make more profit on your depenency. The other two minor side effects that I attribute to Advair is the occasional hoarsness in my voice, and a minor tingling sensation in my arm and leg (Restless Leg Syndrome?) at night. Anyone else can make a connection between Advair and RLS?

I don't smoke, drink caffine free drinks, athletic, and work out regularly, and take no other medications or vitamins.

My son has been taking advair 250/50 for 19 months now. He was said to have exercise induced asthma and allergies. But since he has been on it we have noticed behavioral changes, moodiness, extremely emotional, headaches and leg pains.

Could this be advair? Doctors say no but I don't know what else to think. Afraid to stop the medication. Don't know what to do.

My 6 yr. old son was started on Singulair for what
was believed to be exercise-induced asthma back in October 2005. We were only
given a sample pack of approx. 12 doses to try. He originally complained of
headaches and I noticed that it was one of the side effects as listed in the
pamphlet that came with the sample pack. Approximately two weeks later, he was
given a prescription for it at his well visit by his pediatrician (we did
however have a pending appointment to see an allergist for future testing).

I had started to notice some unusual behavior on my son's part (he was making a
slurping-type sound out of the corner of his mouth and he was starting to have
blinking and eye tics - looking up/rolling his eyes/while opening his mouth). I
then stop giving him the Singulair for approximately 2 weeks since we were
planning to see the allergist. I didn't feel right about giving it to him
without actually getting a formal diagnosis yet, plus he still said he was
getting headaches.

I then started second guessing myself and was thinking that perhaps his unusual
behavior/tics were caused by his allergies, so I started him back on the
Singulair.
We met with the allergist and found that he did have seasonal allergies along
with an allergy to dust mites and cats (we have had a cat now for one year), so
obviously they wanted him to continue on the Singulair once daily.

He has been on Singulair regularly now for approximately 1 1/2 months and I have
noticed what my husband and I call tics - he is blinking alot, he still opens
his eyes widely, in the last few days he has started grinding his teeth, tilting
his head toward his shoulder as if he were stretching his neck and I noticed him
today moving his mouth to one side.
Needless to say, my husband and I are scared to death. I only have a small
sense of comfort after reading some of the posts on this site from other parents
who are mentioning possible ticks from Singulair usage. I have been crying my
eyes out daily lately after watching my son's actions. I am fearful that he is
developing Tourette's Syndrome/Disorder and he has an appointment in approx. 2
weeks to see a Neurologist about this problem. I was due to pick-up his next
month's supply of Singulair as I have only one dose left, but I have decided to
stop him cold turkey! I am not going to give him his last dose of Singulair. I
don't know how long it will stay in his system, but I pray to God that this is
the cause and that it is not something worse.

Have anyone else experienced anything similiar to what I am describing? Have
you noticed anything like tics? I would love to hear from someone who has
posted previously about their possible tics with their children and what they
have been experiencing lately? Did you stop using Singulair and if yes, what
have you found? Have the "tics" gone away?